Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Once you see it, you will never forget. I guess that is one of the biggest reasons millions of people visit the park each year.

According to the U.S. National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is number one on their “10 Most Visited National Parks” list. We love “our” park, and we know you will too. GSMNP welcomed more than 11 million visitors in 2025. The only year that the park had a higher attendance was in 2021 with 14.161 million people. Great Smoky Mountain National Park is consistently the most visited national park.

Entrance is FREE Year-Round

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the ONLY major national park without an entrance fee. That’s right, entrance to the park is FREE year round, not just on special days!

Parking Tag is Now Required

Great Smoky Mountains National Park now charges a parking fee. If you plan to park for more than 15 minutes anywhere in the park, you need to purchase a parking tag (there are a few exceptions). You may purchase a tag at all park visitor centers, kiosks located throughout the park, and a number of retailers in the area.

Daily tag: $5.00
Weekly tag: $15.00
Annual tag: $40.00

Other in-person sales locations include welcome centers in Gatlinburg and Townsend, and visitor centers in Lake Junaluska, NC and Bryson City NC. Daily and weekly parking tags can be purchased at various kiosks and last, but not least, you can get your parking pass online.

Read: Everything You Need to Know About Parking Tags in GSMNP

What’s the Big Deal About GSMNP?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a big deal, but not because of its size. It barely breaks into the top twenty at only 817 square miles (522,427 acres).
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a big deal because of the diversity of its plant life, wildlife, waterfalls, rivers, streams, sweeping vistas, and our unparalleled access to it.

Things to Do

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great place for an exciting outdoor adventure. You can see wildlife, fish, ride horses, play, ride, hike, eat, and sleep all within the park.

GSMNP Event Calendar: The official Great Smoky Mountains National Park event calendar.
Bicycling: Bring your own bike, or rent one, and enjoy leisurely rides in the park.
Explore Learning: Friends of the Smokies, Smokies Life, Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont, Smoky Mountain Field School.
Fishing: Did you know you can catch rainbow trout, brown trout, and more in the Smokies. Learn all about fishing in the Smokies right here.
Hiking: More than 800 miles of maintained trails twist, turn, climb, and descend throughout the mountains. They are waiting to be explored, by you.
Horseback Riding: Go full-on cowboy and cowgirl by riding a horse in the Smokies. An experience you will never forget.
Picnicking: Pack your basket and head to one of the eleven picnic sites with tables, charcoal grills, and more!

Popular Destinations

Cades Cove: Cades Cove is the premier historical destination in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Cataloochee Valley: Visit one of the oldest and most prosperous farming communities in the Smokies.
Elkmont, Tennessee: Formerly a mountain resort area, Elkmont provides a look into the past.
Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome): The highest elevation in the Smokies with a tower providing amazing views.
Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum & Mingus Mill: A unique outdoor museum with relics of the past from all over the Smokies.
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – Auto Tour: Drive this beautiful, historic, one-way auto-trail through the Smokies. Near Gatlinburg.
GSMNP Official Visitor Centers: The National Park Service has four official visitor centers with staff that are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

Black Bears

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a black bear habitat. The official number of black bears in the park is 1,900 plus, up from 1,500 just a few years ago. After talking with a number of people working in the park, we believe that number is likely 3,000 plus.

Black Bears: Visit our page about black bears in the Smokies.
Best Place to See Black Bears in the Park
Three Big Reasons You Should Not Feed Bears
What to Do If You Encounter a Black Bear
Appalachian Bear Rescue

Park Lodging

Back Country Camping: Prefer to rough it with the wildlife? Check out back country camping.
LeConte Lodge: You better plan ahead, this one is reserved for a year in advance.
Campgrounds: The park has ten great campgrounds available for visitors.
Horse Camps: Discover five outstanding horse camps for you and your equine friends.

Extras

Official NPS Alerts

Official National Park Service Alerts

Gateway Cities to Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Seven gateway cities in North Carolina and Tennessee provide quick and easy access to the park. All of these cities are close to the park. They offer lodging, restaurants, night life, activities, and entertainment. Spend your days in the park, and your evenings having fun in a gateway city.

In North Carolina, visitors most often choose to stay in nearby:

In Tennessee, these are the destinations of choice:

IMPORTANT: There are no cell phone towers inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That means none, zilch, nada, zip, bupkis, squat, take your pick! It is EXTREMELY RARE to get a mobile signal anywhere inside the park. Expect to pick up a signal only when you get close to the border of the park.

According to the U.S. National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is number one on their “10 Most Visited National Parks” list. We love “our” park, and we know you will too. GSMNP welcomed more than 12 million visitors in 2024. The only year that the park had a higher attendance was in 2021 with 14.161 million people. Great Smoky Mountain National Park is consistently the most visited national park.

Entrance is FREE Year-Round

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the ONLY major national park without an entrance fee.

That’s right, entrance to the park is FREE year round, not just on special days!

Parking Tag is Now Required

Great Smoky Mountains National Park now charges a parking fee.

If you plan on parking anywhere in the park for more than 15 minutes, you will need to purchase a parking tag (there are a few exceptions).

You may purchase a tag at all park visitor centers, kiosks located throughout the park, and a number of retailers in the area.

Daily tag: $5.00
Weekly tag: $15.00
Annual tag: $40.00

Other in person sales locations include welcome centers in Gatlinburg and Townsend, and visitor centers in Lake Junaluska, NC and Bryson City NC.

Daily and weekly parking tags can be purchased at various kiosks and last, but not least, you can get your parking pass on-line.

Read: Everything You Need to Know About Parking Tags in GSMNP

What’s the Big Deal About GSMNP?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a big deal, but not because of its size. It barely breaks into the top twenty at only 817 square miles (522,427 acres).

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a big deal because of the diversity of its plant life, wildlife, waterfalls, rivers, streams, sweeping vistas, and our unparalleled access to it.

More than 800 miles of maintained trails twist, turn, climb, and descend throughout the mountains.

They are waiting to be explored, by you.

The park is a great place for hiking, picnicking, motorcycle riding, fishing, photography, birding, spotting black bears, tubing, horseback riding, and much more.

Things to Do

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great place for an exciting outdoor adventure.

You can see wildlife, fish, ride horses, play, ride, hike, eat, and sleep all within the park.

GSMNP Event Calendar: The official Great Smoky Mountains National Park event calendar.
Bicycling: Bring your own bike, or rent one, and enjoy leisurely rides in the park.
Explore Learning: Friends of the Smokies, Smokies Life, Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont, Smoky Mountain Field School.
Fishing: Did you know you can catch rainbow trout, brown trout, and more in the Smokies. Learn all about fishing in the Smokies right here.
Hiking: More than 800 miles of maintained trails twist, turn, climb, and descend throughout the mountains. They are waiting to be explored, by you.
Horseback Riding: Go full-on cowboy and cowgirl by riding a horse in the Smokies. An experience you will never forget.
Picnicking: Pack your basket and head to one of the eleven picnic sites with tables, charcoal grills, and more!

Popular Destinations

Cades Cove: Cades Cove is the premier historical destination in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Cataloochee Valley: Visit one of the oldest and most prosperous farming communities in the Smokies.
Elkmont, Tennessee: Formerly a mountain resort area, Elkmont provides a look into the past.
Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome): The highest elevation in the Smokies with a tower providing amazing views.
Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum & Mingus Mill: A unique outdoor museum with relics of the past from all over the Smokies.
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – Auto Tour: Drive this beautiful, historic, one-way auto-trail through the Smokies. Near Gatlinburg.
GSMNP Official Visitor Centers: The National Park Service has four official visitor centers with staff that are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

Black Bears

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a black bear habitat.

The official number of black bears in the park is 1,900 plus, up from 1,500 just a few years ago.

After talking with a number of people working in the park, we believe that number is likely 3,000 plus.

Black Bears: Visit our page about black bears in the Smokies.
Best Place to See Black Bears in the Park
Three Big Reasons You Should Not Feed Bears
What to Do If You Encounter a Black Bear
Appalachian Bear Rescue

Park Lodging

Back Country Camping: Prefer to rough it with the wildlife? Check out back country camping.
LeConte Lodge: You better plan ahead, this one is reserved for a year in advance.
Campgrounds: The park has ten great campgrounds available for visitors.
Horse Camps: Discover five outstanding horse camps for you and your equine friends.